Chapter 26: Phone Call
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
The junior was still beating himself up, kicking himself for not having recorded the incident. If only there’d been video evidence, they could have used it as proof later—submitted a formal complaint. Xu You thought the whole thing was just too weird. Mainly because he knew Shi Wenze way too well. So he ventured a bold hypothesis: could it be that they were actually dating? The junior sucked in a sharp breath, then shook his head firmly. “No way.”
“Why not? These days, gender and species don’t matter.”
“It’s not about gender or species,” the junior insisted. “It’s about the boss’s state at the time.” He suddenly put on an impromptu acting performance—mimicking a pure and innocent male college student being flirted with by a bald, rich supervisor, but having to endure it for the sake of work. His brow furrowed, fists trembling. “That’s basically it—not exactly the same, but at least 80% close.”
Xu You nodded. Yeah, that expression—like someone ready to drink poison—was definitely not the look of someone in love.
The junior asked, “So what do we do now? Do we have to find some way to save the boss from this mess?”
Xu You waved him aside. “I’ll ask myself. I’m going to get to the bottom of this shit.”
Just then, Shi Wenze appeared from the kitchen, carrying a bowl of strawberries.
Xu You stepped right in front of him. “Got something to ask you.”
“If it’s not urgent, wait a bit,” Shi Wenze said, trying to walk past, but Xu You blocked him. With one hand, he snatched the strawberry bowl; with the other, he pinned Shi Wenze against the wall. “Be honest. How did you convince Lin Su to let me off the hook?”
Shi Wenze frowned. “Talk straight, and stand up straight. Keep some dignity in public.”
Xu You straightened up but lowered his voice even more. “What’s going on between you and Lin Su? I heard he was touching your chest?”
Shi Wenze wasn’t expecting such a ridiculous question. His eyes scanned around and spotted a patrol junior glancing sneakily their way. The moment their eyes met, the kid bolted, guilty as a thief caught red-handed.
Looking at Xu You’s face—half lost, half anxious—Shi Wenze took back the strawberries and asked, “What do you think is going on between me and Lin Su?”
Xu You blurted, “No way, he really touched you? Are you sure there weren’t any mirage dragons messing with your eyes? I thought maybe you guys were hallucinating.”
Shi Wenze calmly answered, “It’s true.”
“Then why did he touch you?” Xu You’s mind raced. “It can’t really be for me, right? That doesn’t sound like something you’d do! I don’t care—you two must be dating!”
Shi Wenze patted his arm, letting out a soft sigh. “Fine. As long as you pass your exams, think whatever you want.”
His ambiguous answer hit just the right note. Xu You totally lost it. Back out in the yard, Lin Su said, “I think Xu You looks a little unhinged.”
Shi Wenze laughed. “He thinks I’m bribing you with my looks just to get him off the hook.”
Lin Su went, “…” With that kind of logic, maybe there’s no point in him passing the exams at all.
At this countryside farmhouse, the most common entertainment was either playing mahjong by hand or on a mahjong machine. Neither Lin Su nor Shi Wenze was interested, so after dinner they hopped on the motorcycle and headed up the mountain to find a flat spot with fresh air. They sat and watched the view below.
Chengdu had fog year-round. Sometimes it was smog, but clear, cloudless days like this were rare. After a while, Lin Su turned to look at him. “Is your qilin bloodline stable now? When I was abroad, I asked a few doctors. They said cases like yours are rare, but if there aren’t any obvious symptoms, it shouldn’t be a big problem.”
“Lan Weiwei’s teacher said the same,” Shi Wenze smiled. “But I’ve never really taken it seriously. To be honest, it’s just incomplete development.”
Monsters and humans interbreed, but the offspring are usually either fully like the father or fully like the mother—no half-breeds. Except for Shi Wenze. From birth, he had only half monster blood. He couldn’t fully transform back into a qilin controlling thunder; at most, he’d grow a pair of dragon horns and some scales, but his power was unstable. He basically spent his childhood in hospitals.
Lin Su thought if this happened to another monster, they might see it as a defect, a congenital disability, and go to the monster equivalent of a disability agency for certification. But Shi Wenze was different—he wasn’t self-conscious about being a half-breed. If anything, he seemed proud, like a unique, one-of-a-kind monster.
Shi Wenze asked, “What are you thinking about?”
Lin Su pulled back his gaze. “Nothing.”
Shi Wenze asked again, “Want to see my dragon scales? The doctor said they’re a little better than before.”
Lin Su hesitated, though he wasn’t unfamiliar with dragon scales in his family. But theirs were all white and plain, nothing like the qilin’s scales—black with a cool metallic sheen, like some rare gem hidden underground. Cold and precious. Totally unrelated to biology—purely an artist’s obsession with beauty.
Shi Wenze unbuttoned his shirt one by one, revealing most of his chest. Lin Su’s first reaction was how pale his skin was. Then he remembered: this was art, not porn. So he calmly moved his gaze up to the hollow of Shi Wenze’s shoulder and asked, “Can I touch?”
Touching art. Shi Wenze said, “Your boyfriend experience card hasn’t expired yet.”
Lin Su reached out with his fingertips. The qilin’s scales were hard and cold. Maybe it was his imagination, but they seemed to hold a faint trace of lightning.
Lin Su asked, “Why is there a patch missing here?”
Shi Wenze said, “During a mission, I ran into a nocturnal owl monster. Got clawed—left a scar.”
Lin Su pressed on the indentation gently. Shi Wenze winced slightly and instinctively recoiled. The newly grown skin was more sensitive than the rest. Normally, hot shower water would irritate it, so being poked like this—especially by someone he liked—made his blood boil like it wanted to rush straight to his head.
“Does it hurt?”
“It does.”
When it was time to be pathetic, there was no retreat. Not only no retreat, but pressing forward, piling it on. Like adding dye to create a whole dyeing room with just a little color.
Shi Wenze said, “It hurt a lot. Bled a ton. They had to carry me into the ambulance.”
Lin Su pulled back his fingers. “Didn’t you say this job wasn’t dangerous?”
“Shi Wenze…” Lin Su started, but then cut himself off. “Sorry, I forgot that detail. Let me answer again.”
“Put your clothes on,” Lin Su said.
“Not going to look a little longer?” Shi Wenze tried to sell himself. “When’s your next drawing session? I can be your model, how about it?”
“No way,” Lin Su said. “Drawing you is no challenge. Your figure’s too standard. The ideal model in my mind is Old Niu from the art academy security.”
Shi Wenze thought it over. Maybe he really couldn’t compete with Old Niu’s uniquely nonstandard body, so he decided to win with price instead. “But I’m free. Your gallery’s opening must’ve cost a lot — saving some money can’t hurt.”
“Old Niu charges 100 an hour clothed, 200 an hour nude. That’s what I can afford right now.” Lin Su tugged his shirt. “Button up. I’m heading to the mountain top.”
Shi Wenze didn’t understand art. “Wait, so even not wearing clothes isn’t worth much anymore? I thought sacrifices for art came with a high price.” As for whether Xu You would be the famous model for Cang Daming, that was still up for discussion.
Lin Su jumped off the rock and got on his motorcycle. Since Shi Wenze’s boyfriend experience card hadn’t expired yet, getting a little closer in an ambiguous way wasn’t off limits. Shi Wenze sat behind him, hands gripping the handlebars, chin resting on Lin Su’s shoulder. Lin Su felt a tingle and itch near his ear—he couldn’t tell if it was the wind or Shi Wenze’s breath.
He could feel the warmth of Shi Wenze’s chest against his back. Lin Su thought the patch pressed against his left shoulder must be leftover dragon scales—slightly cool to the touch.
Most people felt anger and resentment at driving school, wanting to immediately call the complaint hotline or write thousand-word reviews online. But Lin Su was different. As long as the instructor didn’t change, he could take a hundred classes like this.
Shi Wenze lowered his head and asked, “Do you want to buy your own car?”
“No.” Lin Su replied, wind in his face. “I’ll just drive yours.”
Shi Wenze laughed. “Alright, then. You’ll drive mine.”
And yet they claimed they weren’t dating. The adult world was really full of hypocrisy.
They wandered the mountain all afternoon. They didn’t even have time to eat at the farmhouse. After briefly greeting Yue Xiaoyu, they headed straight back to Chengdu.
Lin Lu opened the door and glanced behind Lin Su. “Where’s Shi Ge? Why did you send him away again?”
“I didn’t send him away,” Lin Su said. “He went back to the demon affairs office for overtime.”
“Busy at work and still takes you out? Wow, a perfect man.” Lin Lu gave a thumbs-up. “No wonder when Mom called today, I spent almost ten minutes raving about Shi Ge. My mouth was dry from talking so much.”
Lin Su looked up from the sink, wary. “Mom doesn’t even know him. How did you spin it?”
“Come on, there are so many angles for Shi Ge. Handsome, tall, steady job, treats you well—what elder wouldn’t like that?” Lin Lu leaned over the sofa back. “Good news: Mom really approves of him.”
“Wait a second.” Lin Su dried his hands. “Are you sure praising him like that makes Mom think he’s my boyfriend—not yours?”
Lin Lu froze. “Wait, that’s even possible? No wonder Mom sounded so happy, didn’t mention gender once, and said she’s coming to Chengdu tonight, then slammed the phone down.”
Lin Su’s ears rang. “Say that again?”
Lin Lu sprinted to the phone and tried calling. It showed powered off. They called the house line. The nanny answered, “Yes, madam went to Chengdu about an hour ago. Mister is still working overtime at the company. May I help you?”
Lin Su pressed one hand to his forehead. Lin Lu put on a distressed face. “Brother, what do we do now? Just admit it already—our parents are pretty reasonable.”
Lin Su reminded her, “But he hasn’t won me over yet.”
Lin Lu nervously suggested, “Then… why don’t you let him chase you a little earlier?”
Lin Su didn’t want to say another word. You must be a spy sent by the enemy.
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